Asheville, Buncombe leaders support monument removal (NC)

Mackenzie Wicker and Joel Burgess, Asheville Citizen Times
Published 5:00 a.m. ET June 11, 2020 | Updated 12:29 p.m. ET June 11, 2020

ASHEVILLE - After City Council's June 9 unanimous vote for a joint resolution to remove two downtown Confederate monuments, the measure is set to go before Buncombe County commissioners next week.

Democrats hold a four-person majority on the seven-member county board and have said they intend to support the measure, which also calls for a task force to discuss modifying or removing the controversial Vance Monument. The county's three GOP commissioners did not respond June 10 to texts or emails seeking comment, including Robert Pressley, the District 3 commissioner running for board chair against incumbent Democrat Brownie Newman.

With the resolution likely to pass at the June 16 county meeting, one perceived barrier remains: a 2015 North Carolina law that prohibits removing a monument on public land unless it is relocated to a "site of similar prominence" ...

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2020/06/11/asheville-buncombe-leaders-support-confederate-vance-monument-removal/5333075002/